


*Le Sigh*

by Anon_tzwrk



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Bitchezzz, Canon-Typical Violence, Dirty Jokes, Dirty Thoughts, Edgy?, F/M, Fluff, Gokudera Hayato Swears A Lot, Italian Mafia, Lambo is a little shit, Light Angst, Post-High School, Reader is a babe, Reader-Insert, Reborn is a Little Shit, Slow Burn, believe it - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23287180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anon_tzwrk/pseuds/Anon_tzwrk
Summary: After the reader graduates college she goes to japan for business experience, putting that minor to use. The only real question is how will she fall into the Italian mafia residing there, and more importantly, will her questions ever be answered? What will come of her relationship with a certain squid-head?
Relationships: Gokudera Hayato/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	1. Superposition

"Fucking Finally,”  
She flopped lazily onto her bed, enjoying the afternoon breeze that filtered through her blinds. Limbs spread eagle as she sank into the comfy mattress. Having just placed the final books unto her shelf, her room was complete. The posters hung triumphantly as if banners inside a castle's great hall. She grinned to herself at the thought.

Packing was difficult and unpacking just as much. It was like the time she got a sunburn and sat through the pain as her mother promised showering off the burn ointment wouldn't hurt as much putting it on. And Santa was real. Lost in these nostalgic thoughts, a single one rang clear. 

‘Thank God I don’t have to live with my parents anymore’

There was a certain adrenaline to starting over. There was also that other feeling of nervousness that bubbled up at the thought of doing that exact thing. But she smothered that with various distractions.The ceiling of this house already seemed familiar to her. She wondered when she would meet the other two tenants of the three bedroom house. A soft sigh left her as she ran through her thoughts. 

Rudely, she was knocked back into reality when a child yelled something about 'eating all of it'. The wail of another child echoed through her cracked window. 

A chuckle bubbled out of her, thinking of her little cousins before realizing that the loud kids might be her new neighbors. A very real fear came over her as she sweat-dropped nervously at the thought of the small children stealing her sleep.

Before she could roll over to her remote and watch Netflix the yelling suddenly got louder, as if closing in on her exact location. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the window to her bedroom. She could even hear the small boy's voice crack as he squealed in terror. A thud sounded against the wall of the house. The impact thundering through the quiet room.

She sprung up from the bed as she realized the screaming came to an eerily abrupt stop. A sound akin to an airgun had gone off. She grabbed her phone off her bed, ready to call the police.

As she was about to walk over in concern for the child that seemingly hit like a comet against the side of her house, a pink fog suspiciously emitted from between her blinds. She nervously eyed them before mustering up the courage to quickly yank the string and pull the blinds up.  
"What the actual fuck," She exhaled loudly from a breath she didn't know she were holding. The pink fog flooded her room, momentarily blinding her. 

The smoke thinned a bit to reveal a pretty-boy holding his head. His wavy black locks shining in afternoon sunlight as he held the side of his head. He slowly came to look up at her, his face a bit too mellow about the whole thing. More importantly, a bazooka sat in his lap, the pink smoke seemingly emitting from it. He quickly stood and leaned through her window, his head tilted to the side as a lazy grin sprawled across his lips. The bazooka carelessly fell to the ground. He quickly took her hand and placed a quick kiss against it as he winked up at her. His actions were far too friendly for her tastes, however. A cold sweat ran down her back as she took her hand from his grip and wiped it on her pants. His expression winced into a sad frown.

"You! Who? What are you doing in the backyard? Were's the kid?" She rambled on, her voice harsh as she berated him with questions, "... is that a bazooka?" She squeaked as her nerves overtook her before remembering she had a phone.

She went to quickly press the keys with a speed and accuracy she only discovered she possessed in the moment. Before she could press the last key the phone was snatched out of her hands by a flash of black and orange. She looked over, astonished, to see a baby with impressive sideburns holding her phone.

"Tsk, that would have made things messy," His monotone voice spoke out, nonchalant to the situation at hand. A chameleon smirked at her from his little fedora. Jumping to the window, the baby scolded the young adult.

She was beginning to wonder if she was the only one taking this seriously. Was the universe playing games with her, she wondered. 

"Lambo! No sweets for a week," The baby yelled before quickly kicking him across the face. She merely stared at the violent baby. 

"Hey!" Lambo yelled before a great puff of pink engulfed him again and a child in a cow suit replaced him.

"Okay, but what the actual fuck?" She threw her arms out at the cow-child with a large lump on his head in exasperation. 

Expectant, she turned to the rather authoritative baby. For some reason she thought he would have the answers. All four years of her college education going out the window. 

"The name's Reborn-san, sorry for the intrusion little bella donna," He replied smoothly as the cow child threw a tantrum behind him.

"Um-" She began a bit taken aback as she stared at the talking baby. The other kid got up on the windowsill and proceeded to pout.

"Yes, there is a lot to explain." He smoothly cut in and walked out her bedroom door.

She turned to the cow-child called Lambo and picked him up, holding him to her chest with his head on her shoulder. She rubbed soothing circles on his back to calm him down, and maybe shut the fuck up. He hugged her and she thought her heart might melt for a second before remembering his snot was probably going to drip on her. Quickly, she walked after Reborn through the house, afraid he would disappear. A childish fear in her, that she would lose sight of him and never get any answers.

Soon they arrived at a house around the corner. The occasional yell from a guy who probably needed anger management rang out as they walked through the neighborhood. She was hoping they wouldn’t arrive at the house that was the source of the noise. Yet, there they were. What could the universe be doing this time, she deadpanned in the quiet of her thoughts. 

"Hold up..." She suspiciously eyed Reborn. "Let me tell my mom I'm meeting the neighbors." He seemed like a reasonable baby.

"Sure thing." He tossed her the phone he snatched earlier. She deftly caught it in her hands, thanking the universe she didn't have butterfingers today. The cow child dropped down to stand next to her. She sent the text as she said she would, Lambo clung close to her leg, shivering away from Reborn’s presence. She motioned to hand it back over but Reborn held up a hand. She raised an eyebrow and put it back in her pocket.

"Um, thanks."

He just gave a smirk she was already beginning to expect from him as he turned into the gate of the cute front yard. He jumped up and opened the door. She almost smiled at how it was cute, but it also very terrifying, how high he could jump.

He strode inside, looking back at her to follow him. She hesitantly stood in the doorway, noticing the many shoes lined up. It was a cute house. A trustworthy house, she gauged with her gut. She closed the door behind her.

"Reborn-san!" The friendly voice of a young man rang from deeper in the house. "We were wondering where you'd been,"  
He walked over to the doorway and stopped once he saw her. His big brown eyes widening upon the surprise visitor, a bit adorably so. Like a puppy encountering a butterfly for the first time. His spiky brown hair leaned to the side along with his gaze as he slightly tilted his head in wonder. 

"Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” She brought her hand up in an awkward greeting.  
He stared blankly at her in wonder as he brought a hand up to the back of his fluffy yet spiky hair.  
"Dame-Tsuna!" Reborn yelled and kicked him in the face with force no one would expect from a baby. Yet, she was quickly learning to accept Reborn going beyond anything you expected from a child. The supposed Tsuna fell over on his butt rather ungracefully.  
"Reborn-san," He winced as he held his cheek, the whine in his voice most definitely from genuine pain.  
"This is your new neighbor," He growled authoritatively, "so make her feel welcomed,"  
"Ahh, Reborn-san it's fine. Thank you," She assured him gently as she grabbed Tsuna's hand to help him up.  
"Hey! Get her hands off Judiame! Stupid woman," A rather rude silver haired and annoyingly good looking guy cropped up in the doorway. He shouldn’t be allowed to be cute if he’s a piece of shit, she reasoned.

Lambo was about to take out his bazooka before she spoke up. Her lips set into a stern press, she was not going to let some random asshole speak to her in such a derogatory manner. Her lips popped open, and if looks could kill the glare in her eyes would be criminal. 

"Excuse me?" She demanded angrily as she put her hands on her hips, “Who do you think you’re speaking to? Some broad off the streets?” She flicked a hand at him in exasperation, “Where do you get off treating me like that? Huh?” She lifted her chin ever so slightly, nearly baring her teeth at him as her brow furrowed. 

Lambo stared up at her in surprise before putting his bazooka away. Squid-head gaped at her before pulling his big-brown-eyed companion behind him. 

"Gokudera-kun," The brunette whisper yelled.

Reborn smirked. "Perhaps you should apologize, Gokudera-kun," He lazily said with a threatening gleam in his eye.  
"What?” He yelled in disbelief, “Ah, I see, I’m… sorry," He pulled out from deep in his soul as Reborn glared at him.

"Yeah, fine. Anyway, nice to meet you two," She looked them both in the eye before letting out a sigh. Lambo reached in his hair and handed her a -luckily wrapped- piece of Hubba Bubba gum.  
She gave him an easy smile that made him nearly tear up before popping it into her pocket. He hugged her leg, warmth in his tiny dead heart.  
"Sorry about that, please forgive my idiot students," Reborn growled glancing at them with murder in his eyes before, looking back up at her.  
"Ah, it's fine," She replied, cooling off, only to question the answer as she remembered he was a baby. 

Just then a set of footsteps thundered down the stairs, followed by softer ones. Two young men emerged from a hallway to her right. One rough looking, white haired, with tape on his knuckles. Another with dark hair and a kind face. 

"Oh, hey, we heard yelling and came down to see what was going on," The guy with short black hair explained. His soft brown eyes widened in surprise.  
"Wow, you’re new to the extreme!" The other guy with white hair and taped knuckles exclaimed.  
"You could say that," She chuckled at his funny behavior.

He beamed at her reaction as the one with black hair smiled her way. Tsuna seemed pleased with the new atmosphere as Gokudera put his hands in his pockets coolly. Reborn smirked, withholding information for now. 

"Hey," She yelped in surprise as Lambo climbed a bit up her leg. She scooped him up into a piggyback ride, smiling at his behavior while rolling her eyes.  
"You’re so silly Lambo-kun," she recalled his name from when Reborn scolded him earlier, or the young man who disappeared like a ninja. She'd have to think on that one later. 

The rest stared at her blankly, especially the storm guardian who hadn't even noticed the little bugger.

She decided this calm moment was one for introducing herself.

"My name is (L/n) (F/n), I just moved in right around the corner,"


	2. Familiar Patterns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was rolling with the riff-raff.

Just then the doorbell rang. She turned around and opened it since she was the closest. Maybe not the most thought out action, but the most natural. 

"Welcome," She chirped playfully, opening the door for two girls that looked her age. Actually a little bit more familiar than that. 

Recognition dawned on their faces slowly, then all at once. She instinctively pointed at Hana, who pointed at her in return, Kyoko slowly pointing her finger at her last as it felt like maybe she should. All three of them stood in a comical triangle of pointed fingers. Resembling some knock off Charlie’s Angels. 

“This isn’t the house we’re renting,” Hana began, a bit nervously as she sweat-dropped. Her kind face shifted to obvious worry as she cracked a smile before dropping her finger gun. 

“Yeah, ours is around the corner,” Kyoko tilted her head in thought. Perhaps she sent the address incorrectly, she pondered. 

“Reborn-san, was just showing me his own residence, and perhaps some answers?” She hopefully turned to glance down at him respectfully as she finished her sentence. 

The young womens' tense smiles were just barely present. A quick glance revealed that none of the young men present even flinched at the direct poke to the elephant in the room. Perhaps, they were all in on it. She really did not want to be murdered and buried in pieces, but these people seemed trustworthy, she could feel it in her bones. Just like every murder victim in every horror movie ever. 

The group migrated to the living room, the place filling up quickly, and mysteriously. Just enough seats were available, as if she were expected. A thin glaze of déjà vu settled over her and left her eyes shining in awe at her surroundings. Taking a seat on the couch parallel to the slightly longer one, she found herself next two the two young men with black and white hair. She thanked whatever luck led to her sitting directly next Yamamato, his name she had yet to forget. His handshake was as easy as his smile, despite Ryohei leaning across him to firmly grip her hand as enthusiasm incarnated. Lambo sat in her lap almost as if the action were out of habit, his afro fluffy as she rested her hand atop of it. If only he were a cat she mused. A small smile slipping onto her lips like spill over of her thoughts. 

Ryohei, Ryohei, Ryohei, the one with white hair -she drilled into her mind- was extreme about just about everything. While Yamamato was fairly mellow. Gokudera sat across from them on the second long, expensive looking couch, now that she thought about it. Her eyes drifted away from the fancy fabric of it before she could accidentally catch the squid-head's fierce eyes. 

His own gleamed hard like a stray cat’s as he thought of the embarrassment he went through. Glancing over her way once she looked back to Hana to join in on small talk. He was making ‘progress’ as Tsuna told him, with his anger management. Well, he didn’t give a flying fuck about maybe screwing over his chances of being friends with the ̶s̶c̶a̶r̶y̶ sassy new girl who might be a little ̶s̶e̶x̶y̶. trustworthy, and may join the familia. He regretted slipping back down the slope of anger issues was all. He fucking guessed. 

Kyoko had excused herself and returned shortly with alcoholic beverages, and before (F/N) knew it everyone was grinning. Except squid-face of course. A cup was in her hand. Then liquid was in the cup. Cold against her palm, even through the glass barrier. Shaking and swirling until it was filled. Skillfully, the alcohol slowly stopped pouring, its stream trickle and then silent as it was corked. 

Reborn had poured her drink. She was a bit stunned at his skill, even more so that he had used it for her. The small baby extraordinaire had a playful gleam in his eye as he watched her wondrous expression shift from shock to gratitude and, finally, trust. Her clear cut thank you seemed to echo through the living room as a sweet smile spread her lips, her tension finally melting away.

She took a sip in a respectful manner, shortly bowing her head to Reborn, various members of the group glancing casually at her as the scene took place. As if magically appearing, small snack foods were also nearby. She murmured the surprise under her breath. 

“This family is always prepared,” 

“You’re not wrong there, (L/N)-chan,” Reborn slyly agreed from between Tsuna and Squid-head from the middle of the couch across from her. 

A soft blush overcame her cheeks like a child’s blanket, her expression an open book. How did he even hear that, was her real question. 

“Have you ever owned a cat, (F/N)-chan?” Her head whipped around to see an older woman, her features set in striking resemblance to Tuna, er Tsuna. Or rather a lifeguard, fishing her from the waters of critical eyes. 

“Ah, yes just a couple,” She stood, Lambo falling onto the couch against Yamamto’s thigh -rather tragically- as she offered a short bow to the obvious owner of the house.  
“Oh, honey, you’re so sweet,” Her angelic smile graced (F/N)’s occipital cortex with striking vibrancy. “I see little Lambo there was lounging like a lazy kitten in your lap. You are kind for that,”

“O-of course ma’am, thank you,” Her stance was resting awkwardly, ready to sit back down or spring to action. 

When Ms. Sawada smiled once more as she walked to the kitchen of the residence, (F/N) sat back down next to Yamamato rather stiffly. He gave a soft chuckle as he watched her robotic movement as she picked Lambo up and sat him down on the other side of her. His little legs dangling off the edge of the couch and his fro resting against her hip. 

“You’re so respectful (F/N),”  
When her doe-like eyes widened in the headlight of his gentle smile, he felt his own face mirror her expression. His empathetic sweat-drop was a charity.  
“It’s refreshing,” He quickly reassured her. 

“Thank you, Yamamato-kun,” She slurped up the praise in a humble manner, like quietly eating noodles. Picking up her drink, she took another sip to give her an excuse for not speaking. Her own freshly scrambled and re-compressed irises landing on a pair of forest greens. 

Her softly blushing cheeks shocked the silver head across from her. To go from fierce to faint in 10 minutes, it wasn’t fair. Her features wavered in such a cute manner. 

“For once, Yamamato- kun is right. That was some show of respect,” His own grin was smooth and somewhat teasing. His lips moving somewhat quickly, as if the compliment was unnatural. Like eating vegetables after a long while. The texture odd to his taste buds. Perhaps the alcohol made it easier, and Yamamto’s surprise was quickly wiped away by Ryohei hooking an arm around his shoulders to drag him into his conversation. 

Her eyes, like a camera lens, blinked once, capturing the sight before her. The image processing before being uploaded into her long-term memory. The lazy lean of his wide shoulders against the couch behind him. Silver linings of his hair against his lush eyes and hard jawline. Black sweater loose enough to tease a collarbone, thin enough to prime the muscle tone of his chest beneath it. The stupid and cute edge-lord black bracelets he wore. His aesthetic was off-limits, but it may have been stored in her limbic system.

“Oh, you approved of that?” She poked softly, a joking tone in her voice as she sniffed around for boundaries.  
He picked up his drink and swished it as he tilted his head in confusion, coming to lean his elbow on the arm of the couch as he rested it against his hand, “Of course, what’s not to like about respect?”  
Some things, she thought of. Like shamelessly staring would kinda be rude but that’s what she wanted to do at the moment. He could be cute with his mannerisms. She immediately deemed it illegal.  
“Oh, you liked that?” She grinned playfully before taking a smug sip of her drink and continuing, taking a moment to look at his abashed expression at her somewhat flirtatious choice of words, “Squid-san?” 

Before anger could carry him away, he felt a rush from her grinning lips, barred teeth that would bite so lovingly. He picked up his drink to take another sip. Lips eager as they hit the rim, eyes rather honey on her own.  
“Have you already thought up a nickname for me? Or have you-” 

Lambo threw a piece of cookie at his cheek, gawking before grinning at Gokudera’s rage face. His obnoxious laughter was rather grating before he became preoccupied by staring at his hands. Yamamato erupted into easy laughter next to her. His hand on his stomach as her own shoulders shook with somewhat controlled chuckles and snorts. 

Gokudera’s cheeks were lightly tinted, and he had all kinds of thoughts rushing through his prefrontal cortex. Some, still rather flirtatious. Some, perhaps violent, with explosions involved. His mouth gaped open before he reached for his TNT, stopping after feeling a cold sweat prick the goose-flesh that trickled his neck. Reborn’s eyes bored a hole into the side of his head. The rest of the group chattered about business of some sort, so Gokudera was spared the torture of Tsuna seeing his ruffled reaction, at the very least. 

He settled for flashing her a glare through his jade eyes after giving Lambo shivers at the promise of revenge, but was met with an effortless joy that made him pause. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, cheek slightly flushed from her drink, perhaps. Her lips pulled into a soft, wide smile, so genuine it was nearly infectious. She was still obviously laughing from earlier, despite her attempts to stifle it. Her mirth filled eyes met his like a wave brushing washing over a shore. Her laughter finally dying down as she put down her drink to speak.

“I know your name, Gokudera-kun,”  
“As you should,” He clicked his tongue, and averted his eyes as he took another sip of his drink. 

Yamamato had turned to Ryohei at some point again. Now, she only had him to talk to. She wasn’t sure if she liked that a lot, or not at all. A gulf between the chances and losses that could result. She felt her habit of overthinking what to say creep up like a shadow, and turned to Reborn.

“I wanted to thank you again for bringing me over to meet your family and friends, Reborn-san. As well as you, Tsuna-kun, for opening your home to me,” She slightly bowed her head to each of them.

“O-oh, of course (L/N)-chan,” Tsuna nervously returned her bow as Reborn smirked. 

“Don’t sweat it (L/N)-chan,” Reborn smoothly assured. 

"I am truly appreciative of you all, but this still doesn't explain a child with a bazooka that magically turns him into a teenager. Or a severely talented talking baby," She casually threw out there with a patient, yet curious smile. 

They all froze, except a smirking Reborn and a carefree Lambo in her lap.

"I would like to welcome a new member to the Vongola familia," Reborn announced with a tint of happiness to his stoic tone, "I would appreciate it if you all welcomed her with open arms," He looked them each in the eye and it was clearly not a request. 

There was a pause before a general positive tone of agreement left everyone. Although it took a kick in the ribs from Reborn to get Gokudera to grunt along. While it may not have answered her questions it was clear that they intended to give them to her, eventually. Something told her to be patient. Plus they seemed morally aligned. 

"Thank you all, I really appreciate your kindness. It's great to know that I already have a family here in Japan," She beamed at them, a weight lifted off her shoulders from the supposed overwhelming friendliness from seemingly random neighbors. Little did she know at the time, that they weren't just welcoming her to the neighborhood or a friend circle. 

"Anytime you're in a pinch, we'll be here," Reborn gave her a thumbs up.  
“Things can be a little rough in the neighborhood, and moving to a new place can be worrisome, but we are here if you ever need anything,” Ms. Sawada had returned from the din of the kitchen to add to the welcome. 

Her hands came to rest in her lap as she waited for more information. Gokudera glanced at her behavior as he felt discomfort at her worry. He just met her, but it already felt wrong to see her go through struggles alone. He hoped she wouldn't fake a smile. He cleared his throat as he worriedly observed.

“If you were able to get through this first day without fucking it up too bad, you could probably manage it again,” Gokudera threw out with a soft scowl. His bluntness was refreshing. 

“Wow, thanks Gokudera-kun, I really felt that,” She sarcastically grinned before laughing lightly and giving him a thankful look.

Yamamato continued the conversation. "Yeah, I guess,” Yamamato gave Gokudera a weary glance, “Don't worry (L/N)-chan, we're here if you ever need help," He smiled at her reassuringly. His brown eyes twinkling with dependability.  
"To the extreme," Ryohei added on with a first bump, making her laugh.  
"Tsk, you know where to find us,” Gokudera slipped his comment in, looking at her with a resting bitch face she was beginning to warm up to. 

A light blush overcame her cheeks, a bit overwhelmed by their support. "Wow guys, thank you so much,"  
Gokudera's eyes widened a fraction at this cute atmosphere she gave off again. Remembering her almost thug-like reaction earlier. Lambo looked up at her from her lap and grinned.

"Why are you suddenly shy? So humble (L/n)-San!" He happily announced as he swung his feet over the side of her legs. Flowers around him as he sat content. Reborn smirked at the statement.  
She glared down at him and whisper-yelled, "Lambo why'd you say that?" Her blush became apparent now. He froze and sweat dropped. 

"Was I not supposed to say that?" His attempted whisper more like a yell as he panicked. His little eyes shot open wide. 

Everyone began to chuckle and Gokudera snorted loudly, a shit eating grin spread across his lips. Ryohei laughed to the extreme as well. After a moment, she looked down at the terrified child and began to laugh as well. Lambo nervously laughed along as the tension left his body. 

She ruffled his hair playfully.  
She paused, looking at everyone. “I should get back to the house, though. That jet lag is kicking in, I think,” 

Lambo began whining loudly in her soft lap. She looked down at him. Her eyebrows raising in an authoritative manner, disapproval of the behavior obvious. "No whining now, I'll be back soon enough,”  
"Okay (f/n)-san..." He froze before sighing gloomily as they all stood up to gravitate towards the entrance of the house.  
"Be patient and I'll play hide and seek with you next time I come over, yeah?” She promised cheerfully, ruffling his hair. “If you’re bad though, I won’t come over anymore,”  
"Okay," He yelled in determination, running off somewhere into the house.  
She watched after him before turning back to the group. They all stared, shocked.

"Woman, how did you do that?" Gokudera asked abruptly, leaning towards her from the other side of Yamamato as they stood near the doorway.

"I just..." She shrugged, not knowing why it was such a big deal. He continued to stare in wonder until getting kicked in the ribs by Reborn again. He immediately squatted, biting his lip. She winced and leaned forward, concerned. 

A hand hesitantly raised as if to help, but hovering in the air frettingly. "Are you okay?" 

He glanced away from her gaze with a clicking noise, a light blush on his cheeks as he held his side. His eyes widened when she placed a hand on his shoulder gently as she leaned over him. Her voice soft as she insisted, "Do you want an ice pack?"  
"No! Stu-... s’nothin, woman," He shot out, flustered by her treatment. Reborn cut his eyes to him from behind her. His beady pupils shot out a warning that promised a good kick later that night if he didn’t stop fucking it all up. Gokudera groaned and she simply rolled her eyes. 

She straightened her posture, realizing it was dark outside as she stood in the doorway.  
"Oi, (L/N)-chan, it's dangerous at night," Reborn walked up next to her, both of them waving bye before closing the door as the girls walked with them.  
"Thanks Reborn," She smiled as she made her way down the porch, “Can you read minds?” She playfully quipped as they turned the corner.  
“You’d think so, huh?” Kyoko giggled as her and Hana began talking about the living room furniture.  
"I can teach you a few tricks,” He smirked and mysteriously tipped his chameleon-holding-fedora, “Your training begins at the end of the week (L/n)-chan. Now that you're involved you need to be able to keep yourself safe, " He explained as he walked with the ladies to their front porch.  
She laughed at his odd words, "Alright. I feel like I've already found irreplaceable friends. Thank you Reborn-san," She smiled at him as he jumped onto the column near her door.

"It was my pleasure," He smirked and watched until they all were in the house. Leaping wall to wall until he was back at Tsuna's, silent in the night.


	3. Psycho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's dangerous outside

“Don't imitate me,” 

She sprung up in bed, slapping her hand unto her phone, her dream fading with every passing second. The silence in the air stared back at her through the phone screen she could hardly focus her eyes on. After blinking rapidly the time came into focus. It was only 8:57 in the morning. With a slump, her craving body pressed back into the warm sheets of her bed. Her hand haphazardly cradling her phone on the edge of her pillows. The body pillow that lay against her side was sinfully relaxing. So was sleep apparently, and remembering what she was so intensely dreaming about. Something about a man. Something about something she wasn't supposed to be doing, or seeing. Maybe. She realized, it felt nostalgic as she drifted back to sleep. Slowly sinking back into the unconscious. Like watching Saturday morning cartoons. Or building a sandcastle to her best ability before it washed away in the waves of a beach at sunset. 

Vibrations ran through her palm and up her elbow. A funky song wicking away the quiet like windshield wipers do the rain. The tune grew louder with every second. She begrudgingly glowered at her phone, quickly reading and punching the four numbers in descending order to a grueling 9 am alarm. 

The phone slipped from her sleepy hands and thunked against the well padded carpet of her floor. A whine slipped from her as she lifted herself and peered half lidded over the bed, staring at the grave scene below her. Quickly, before she could talk herself out of it, she rolled out of the bed and unto the ground. 

“We’re together at last, my lost love,” She murmured, faint laughter trailing the words before being cut off with a muted sigh. 

The morning couldn’t have started off slower. But that’s what she expected, having fallen asleep at around 5 am. She couldn’t make heads or tails of that odd family that her two housemates were apparently associated with. Whether she witnessed time travel for real. Why they were so friendly. And that baby… a damn talkative, and rather highly skilled, intelligent, and sly, sly little thing. Where did it all come from, and what was his deal, she wondered. Her gut told her he was the center of it all. The man who called the push-over looking guy a boss. The bazooka and could-be-time-travel device. 

Only the sweet aroma of the coffee grounds as she popped open the lid lifted her energy. A small note sat next to it in its pink stationary. It seemed Kyoko and Hana had left for groceries already.

She measured the coffee grounds before plopping the fine powder into the coffee maker. Tilting her head to the side as she cracked her neck, satisfying pops sounding out as she gazed at the note through the corner of her eye. A harrumph of a laugh left her as she imagined their cute shenanigans as they inspected leeks and the likes. 

She opened her laptop -after her morning routine of being out of sorts- to find herself looking for the business jobs in the area. Her parents had assured her there would be opportunity with some thriving group in the area. Yet, all she could find was dead end websites or site errors. 

She jumped at the sound of her phone, she quickly picked up the call at the familiar caller ID.  
"Hi (F/n), I was just wondering if you had met any neighbors yet, "

She then proceeded to give her mom the 411 of the past night. A crazy whirlwind of meetings. She may have left out a detail or two about ̶a̶ t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶r̶a̶v̶e̶l̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶c̶o̶w̶ ̶ Lambo. Or the little part about the really helpful and capable neighbor being a baby. 

"Well, call me if you ever have any trouble, okay? We've got some family friends out there,"

"Okay, will do, love you mom," She smiled to herself as the phone call ended. It was a much needed comfort. 

With that reassuring reminder of belonging and not being along in the world, she turned to simpler tasks. She filed away a thought to call and ask about the family friends later on, when she finally settled in to the small town. Her heart rose and bloomed as she put on NeetFix. Her favorite drama had updated, and after that she would catch up on a thriller, and then the recent documentary that just came out. 

Or so she had planned. Cheerful voices echoed through the walkway as the sounds of plastic ruffled her ears. She got up to meet them at the door, taking a couple bags as Hana and Kyoko cheered her on. They prepared the groceries by washing the ingredients, there were laughs, some chatter, and some music. 

Then, they were at the Sawada’s, again. Somehow. As if not just one hour ago they were merely preparing side dishes, but in a cruel dream. As they cooked, and talked, and more importantly gossiped, she came to realize that they were merely preparing for a family brunch. She had unwittingly contributed to and now, was ̶f̶o̶r̶c̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶t̶t̶e̶n̶d̶, generously included in. 

She repressed a growl in her stomach by yawning quietly into the back of her hand. 

“Are you still tired? (F/N) dear,” Ms. Sawada turned to her as she stirred some fried rice, a soft smile on her face, her crows-feet crinkled in kindness. 

Caught, she admitted softly, “Just a bit,” a nervous smile cracked against her lips, afraid to offend this kind goddess. 

“Oh, don’t worry dear, I’ve already had two cups of espresso to deal with those brats upstairs,” She flipped her ladle in the rice casually. 

“Oh,” It came out as a question, and she felt herself relax. 

Then they had set the table, and Lambo had found her after waking up from his nap. She wished that was her story. A rueful smile creeped its way onto her lips as she peered at the calf sitting in her lap. He sweat dropped, his neck craning slowly to look at the presence of the threatening aura sliding down his spine. She squinted- 

Lambo’s deadpan of a face stared back at her, nervous sweat beading underneath the curls near his temple. Eyes still and frozen.

The sight sent her into a fit of laughter. He swallowed fearfully, unsure of weather he was going to be punished or rewarded. 

When she hugged him closer to her, for a moment he thought his doubts had come to fruition, but soon realized that rather than the sweet embrace of death, she was merely hugging him. He went limp like a wet noodle. 

Shouts bled through the walls of the cheerful house, ruining the bonding moment. She wrote it off as a probable hot silver-headed family member, or hot-headed silver, or silver-haired family member with a hot face, er head- she couldn’t quite straighten out her thoughts. Whichever it was, she dismissed it as the usual bullshit. She reached for the remote to the television only to pause again as an explosion rattled the windows. Her eyes widened as she sprung up from the couch. It went silent, and she swallowed nervously, biting her lip. Were explosions casual for these people, she wondered. She glanced to Nana for some gauge on normalcy, but was met with her back as Nana committed to stirring the fried rice. Her shoulders were relaxed but (F/n) could have sworn there was a certain annoyed tension in the tilt of her head.

"Hey (F/n), I'm pretty sure-" Lambo was cut off as her (F/n)'s fingers squeezed just slightly against his plush rib cage as she did her best to analyze the situation.

Thoughts of wasting her precious and limited energy glued her feet in place, and then instincts urged her to definitely not check it out. Yet, the moment another explosion shook dust into the entryway through the crack underneath the door she knew her mission. She had to get them to clean that dirt out before Ms. Sawada had to deal with it. With a harrumph she tossed Lambo to the side. 

She walked towards the door with a piece of her mind ready. She swung it open harder than Yamamoto’s bat she had heard about this morning while cooking. Her eyes blew wide as the sight before her exceeded all her expectations. Gokudera had his TNTs out and his bandages on. His blue long sleeve unbuttoned, and rather flattering with the way it blew in the wind of his last explosion. The sleeves rolled up to his elbows, most likely to avoid being caught on fire. His bangs pushed up and out to reveal smooth cheek bones in the force of the previous explosion. She briefly wondered how he still had eyebrows. A tall man with batons stood opposite him, who looked all too serious. Tsuna, adjacent, and trying to break them up. Gokudera scowled as she was beginning to expect from him. He suddenly produced more TNT, but from where, she tilt her head at the mystery. Squinting, she peered across the front yard, she couldn't really tell. All she saw was his bandaged chest, his edgy bracelets, and rather tight abdomen if she was really looking, maybe a belt. Defiantly he got ready to light more TNT from somewhere near, or on his belt. She suddenly wondered if he was pulling them from his pants, a faint blush threatened to creep on her cheeks. But, back to the point. 

“Will you two quit it? You’re getting dirt in the entryway,” She called out without even thinking, the moment the words left her mouth she wondered, would it make a difference? Probably not. Would she maybe get blown up, he wouldn't fucking dare, she hoped. 

In the odd silence Gokudera clicked his tongue, “Tsuna do something with that stupid-” 

Gokudera collapsed on the spot. 

For a wild moment (F/n) wondered if she had suddenly been bestowed with unbelievable power. The mere command of her voice mandating another human being to completely cease their actions. 

A quiet scoff left the tall man across from him. A smug look on his face as he fell to the ground in quick succession. 

(F/n) felt a cold sweat run down her spine. Her eyes darted from Gokudera to the baton man. She opened her mouth and then closed it for fear of the consequences of her words. Where did this power appear from, she wondered. Why only now, she grappled for cosmic meaning. Her mouth drew into a straight, tense line, eyes widening. Tsuna was still standing.

A flash of black moved in the corner of her eye. A cat? She couldn’t tell. 

“Sorry about that bella donna. That loud racket is gone now, yeah?” Reborn gave her a little smug smile after appearing at her feet. His black little button eyes gleamed with something like a satisfaction of a good deed. 

(F/n)’s face went slack into a blank smile. Embarrassment begun to fester up before she shoved it aside. It wouldn’t ever be enough. She was watching too many fantasy shows. She could never tell anyone where her thoughts had gone. She would never tell. Ever. 

“T-thank you Reborn, brunch should be ready soon,” 

With a tip of his fedora he walked past her and into the house, leaving her there to stare at the two men passed out in front of the yard. She walked towards Gokudera, nudging his shoulder with her foot. She didn’t want to lug him into the living room, but baton man looked even less promising. Yet, her cursed empathetic nature wouldn’t let his face bake on the pavement. She grabbed him by the arm, trying not to lose her grip as she sat him up. Her other arm wrapping around his other side to keep him from spilling out of her grasp. She bit her lip after accidentally touching his exposed abs. She was going to have to ignore those for a moment. She readjusted her grip, ignoring his soft skin beneath her fingers. It must have been an amusing sight, watching her push him around like a fruit-rollup, tucking her head underneath his arm before pushing up out of her squat. 

Yamamoto in fact, was thinking something along those lines as he turned the corner to join the famiglia brunch of the month. It was rather heartwarming to see her trying her hardest for the neighborhood tsundere. There was a certain gracelessness to the whole endeavor that led to the two existing in their own world. He was just about to sum it all up to that when he noticed a gleam in her eye as she glanced down at the very heavy bag of potatoes on her shoulder.

She managed to lift him over her shoulder as a string of curses were stage whispered through her grit teeth. His perspired forehead leaned on her neck before she shrugged it off. His tiny, unassuming, unaware, grunts as she attempted to support his weight were far too complacent for her tastes. Gokudera’s face was placid for once. Relaxed, non-furrowed or prickling with anger. His eyelashes were longer up close, lips more full than she had remembered from their first encounter. She gave a bark of a laugh to the cruel fate that led her to the situation she was in. What a troublesome man, even in the looks department. All peaceful and non-explosive, and annoying. Especially because she was having a much harder time than sleeping beauty, there. She squinted her eyes at him, and tugged him up higher on her shoulder.

She found herself struggling to keep him up straight as she nearly lost balance after trying to straighten out his legs. Those damn useless legs. His head flopped onto his own shoulder as his other arm dangled as if mocking her. A small red welt lay on the back of his neck. She drew it all up to Reborn’s ninja-like skills. It was getting easier by the minute. She wished Reborn could’ve helped her now. He was fucking heavy. She tilted, and then more. On her tip toes as she tried to defy gravity. On a single toe. Going, gone. 

The ground seemed to jump up to greet her. All puppy dog tails, wagging and swaying. Puppy dogs eyes, glimmering in the summer sun somewhere in the asphalt. Her brow furrowed as she was getting ready to faceplant, but no sooner had the weight been nearly lifted off her shoulders. The arm around her neck was almost non-existent as she regained balance. She whipped her head to the right. Yamamoto gave her a winning smile as he shook Gokudera lightly with his shoulder, as if to imply, ‘this guy, amirite?’ With Squid-head’s other arm around Yamamoto’s neck, and if she was being honest most of the weight, they easily dragged him into the living room and plopped him onto the large sofa. 

“I’m sorry Miss. Nana,” She cringed at the squid’s shoes hanging over the edge of the couch as Nana had walked over to inspect. 

Nana waved it off and gave a laugh as if it were a typical brunch happening. 

(F/n) hauled ass back outside to grab the scary-looking baton man, but was pleasantly surprised to see Ryohei lugging his entire body over one shoulder. From the back, maybe baton man wasn’t so scary. Ryohei brought him inside to rest beside Gokudera. Or rather, to drop baton-man like a sack of rocks next to the giant squid. Poor baton-man was left to slump over and onto the squid’s shins. Unlike Gokudera, he emitted tense vibes even in his sleep.

"Thank you Ryohei, that was extremely helpful," She smiled widely at this kind act, to which he gratefully gave her a thumbs up for the recognition of his contribution. 

"Of course," He yelled in his -inside- voice, she assumed. 

They pat each other on the back before laughing loudly. It seemed that she was suddenly acutely aware of how bro-material Ryohei was. She slapped a knee at his extreme phrases before she handed him a dish to set at the table. 

Eventually, Reborn woke the two brawlers up with a good kick. A good lecture, and then a good conscience to cut it off there as she glanced over. 

She quickly swept the dirt back into the front yard, it almost looked as if nothing happened. Save for the slightly smoky air in the entrance. Being the tired busy bee she was, she began setting the table as well. Baton man walked up to where she stood, setting down the last side dish onto the table behind her. His arm a little too in her bubble as he rested it beside her, half boxing her in. More isolated than she would have liked as everyone was busy with their own activities, chaotic as usual. Fear creeped up the back of her throat like bile before she swallowed it resolutely. Mama didn’t raise no bitch. 

“Who are you, herbivore?” His voice was deep and even a bit silky, but rather apathetic. Also, threatening in a way she wasn’t about to deal with. 

(L/n), and I’m not vegetarian,” She glared into his beady eyes and knocked the hand out of the way that caged her in. "I'll bite you to death," He scrunched his face up at her in a way that would have been comedically intimidating if she were not so pissed off for having to deal with more bullshit. Not missing the way his teeth barred before he turned to look at Reborn across the room. Or the twitch of his fingers towards the baton on his hip. 

"ᵖˢʸᶜʰᵒ," She murmured to herself as she pushed her hair back from her face. 

She wondered if Reborn had been watching the whole time. It made her feel oddly safe, and then not because stalking wasn’t something she was very used to before meeting this family. She turned her attention to the spread of foods before her in an attempt to take her mind off of that prick. Everyone had a plate, even that random ass baton guy no one had bothered to explain in detail. Glad, to say the least, that she was on the opposite end of the table from him. Chatter had started up, as a natural environment of mild shenanigans and such stirred together to lend itself to the warmth of the brunch. 

All of her least favorites congregated towards the end area, not that she was actively categorizing the family members on a daily basis, except that she was shamelessly doing so. Baton guy, squid head… she ran through her recent experiences, buffering the list. Yep, that was it. Reborn was a neutral variable, so sly, but thus far generally helpful. Of course it had in fact only been two days since she knew him. Graceful Ms. Sawada was of course at the top, and Yamamoto-kun was trailing close behind along with Lambo, whom she really thought of as more of a pet if she was being honest. Then there was Ryohei who was proving to be a good pal. 

“(F/n)-san,” 

Kiyoko and Hana were upper middles. Yet, at the same time she realized that she hadn’t really had time to have a decent conversation with everyone. She swore, it was almost as if there were an active hierarchy of conversation in place driven by larger forces than herself. She began mixing her food together a bit before taking a grateful spoonful. 

“Earth to (F/n)-san!” 

A rather unpleasant coughing sound squeezed between the food in her mouth as she nearly spat it back onto her plate. Only lighting choking as she covered her mouth, swallowing it all in one gulp before chasing it with tea. She cleared her throat and looked over to Lambo on her left, rather hilariously sitting on a stack of books in order to reach the table. She almost choked again while suppressing her laughter. 

"Are you alright (L/n)-san," Tsuna's voice rolled over from the other end of the table with genuine concern lacing his vocal chords. While Gokudera had an eyebrow arched at her coughing fit. Her eyes briefly slipped down to see his shirt was now buttoned. It would be nice to get a 'thank you' for helping him, but she doubted it. He tapped a single finger against his cheek as his chin rested in his palm. With that shit eating grin on his lips. She wanted to smack it off his face, with her ̶l̶i̶p̶s̶ fist. 

“Yeah? Sorry about that,” She blinked, and realized she really needed to get better sleep or give up on being present in any conversation.

Lambo gave a harrumph and crossed his little cow arms in offense. “I was telling you about this super cool new weapon that Gianini-san made for me,” 

She gave him a blank stare, summing it up to toys before remembering that damn bazooka which took up half of the damn time she spent processing this family last night instead of sleeping. “O-oh?” 

She could feel the bewilderment on her face, yet Lambo just continued right on, rather smugly, “Yep, its got an explosive feature and the famiglia has finally recognized my strength so I’m gonna-”

Lambo’s shrill voice began spiraling into muffled choking noises rather gracelessly as food fell onto his plate. He was quickly removed from the table faster than the last pieces could fall from his gaping mouth. She smiled awkwardly before glancing over at the talented baby she presumed to have been the culprit. The way he casually tucked in his bib, was… a bit off putting. 

At the back of her mind, something else popped up while she was bathing in that familiar feeling of something being out of place, too unnatural, or convenient. She recalled the glitches that kept cropping up when she was researching businesses in the area, and turned to Kyoko, seated next to her, across from where Lambo had previously resided in this world. “Hey, do you know any tech guys?” 

Kiyoko tilted her head to the side in a ponderance, a rather rehearsed gesture if (F/n) had an eye for one. “Well… no, I don’t think I do,” 

She didn’t know if she could act surprised. A beat passed, another just about to tip on top of that one. She opened her mouth, arranging her features step by step, into what was probably a shitty show.

“I know a couple tech guys, (F/n)-chan,” A smug and distinctively opportunist voice rang from the other end of the table near Tsuna and Gokudera. 

A small sigh of relief left her as she turned her attention to the one and only Reborn, who, if she was catching onto things, probably ran the show. More important than that though, she was saved from giving a proper social response. 

“I’ll introduce them to you this weekend, if you’re free,” It sounded more like a d̶e̶m̶a̶n̶d̶ statement, than a suggestion.

“Oh, it’s just a couple glitches on my laptop,”

“Nonsense, what if it’s a part of a larger virus?” 

She wondered if downloading all those pirated early releases had finally caught up with her. It was fun to imagine it was just about a virus on her laptop, though she was beginning to realize this was a sticky web she was caught in. If she was being honest with herself, she didn’t think she really had a choice in the matter. Might as well get some answers while she was at it.

"Then, sounds like a plan," A grin slipped onto her lips at the thought.


End file.
